Remembering The Sacramento Area Drive-Ins

[@dangarrison3503]

Sacramento 6 and Hwy 50 went right thru our ranch. The western screen was literally next to our fence, sat on our hay stacks and watched a ton of movies as a kid.

[@raybadgley5234]

Grew up with my high-school buddies in Sacto drive-ins (1959 to 1964). Who can forget "Dusk to Dawn" shows. My vote for the easiest for one guy to sneak into was "the Westerner" as there was actually a make shift ladder on the opposite side of the fence-- which meant you did not have to get into the trunk. Most of our patronage was at the Skyview, Fruitridge and Starlight. Great memories.

[@cbstudebakers6117]

I was born in the mid '80s and grew up in the '90s and missed out on the drive-in movie scene. I've maybe been to a drive-thru twice. But I just think it's really good of you to chronicle this (If that's even the right word) as a way of preserving history and presenting history.

[@NeutronRob]

I recall as a kid the Skyview and Fruitridge Drive Ins in South Sac. Fond memories of a bygone era.

[@bobina05]

So, so many good memories as a kid and a teen going to the 49er. Saw Car Wash, Grease, Sgt Peppers and so many more. My mom talked about going to the Hi-Lander when she was a teen. I never knew that about the streets being named after stars. That's so cool. Thank you for sharing that.

[@allanhugo9213]

I lived by the SkyView Drive in and saw many movies as Friday or Saturdays were movie nights for my family. The Fruitridge drive-in was also close by. The time: 1960s😊

[@caparrothead]

Nothing about the Citrus Heights Drive-In? I spent many a night there. Del Oro students would meet in back right (facing the screen) corner.

[@bjnartkerproductions]

Yes we know, There are other drive-ins that we didn't include such as the Starlite Drive-in and of course, as you mentioned, the Citrus Heights Drive-in. The purpose of the video was to share video of the drive-ins we personally had footage of. So if we didn't have video footage we shot, we didn't include it. Would have been great to have footage of the others, I agree.

[@concretebob7680]

I attended the "Go Ape" Planet of the Apes marathon at the Westerner back in the mid 1970s. I went there with my older brother, his then-wife, their son and my sister. I am guessing this was either in the Summer of 1975 or 1976. I had to sit in the back seat of my brother's Mustang GT, and the front seats were so high, I could barely see the movie screen. Thanks for sharing! Good times.

[@bjnartkerproductions]

We attended the same Ape fest at the Westerner!. When we arrived the sun was going down! And when we left the sun was just starting to come up! My wife, then girlfriend, and I took a station wagon with all of her 3 little brothers and her sister to the event! this was summer of 1973 or 1974.

[@July22Heidy]

Thank you for bringing so many wonderful memory's back. I've always preferred Drive in's to the simple cinema's. In a pickup truck with a mattress in the back with a sweetheart or a couple of friends enjoying our beautiful summer nights. And as a kid with my siblings my parents would take us with them, we would have a bed in the back of my mom's plymouth barracuda. We were allowed to watch the funnies and when their movie started, like Doris Day's and Rock Hudson's "Lover come back", we had to sleep, remember trying to peek. Today I have those old movies on dvd. Good times that I will always cherish.

[@SDGamer638]

This was a great featurette on the drive-ins of Sacramento, CA. Some great, priceless footage seen here. Sadly, the story leaves out some important information, such as the first drive-in theatre in Sacramento, the Skyview Drive-in (open in 1949, closed in 1989-had it remained open today, it would have been the oldest drive-in in Sacramento. Only about half that site remains today, part of it having been redeveloped over the years, assuring that the site will never again be a 3-screen drive-in). It also leaves out other drive-ins that have been closed, such as the two other classic drive-ins (other than the still-open Sacramento 6 Drive-in) that I have visited in my childhood--the Fruitridge and Starlite Drive-ins (both Bloomenfeld properties). Having been born in Sacramento, most of my childhood spent visiting these drive-ins still linger in my mind nearly 50 years later. I will never forget the intermission films shown at the Southgate (with one snipe advertising RealFresh chocolate Drink - and another snipe shown backwards!)-in fact, close your eyes and you will return to that snack bar with the indoor theatre right across playing “Let It Be”, or perhaps on an overcast night you will see the triple feature that played at the Southgate in 1976-“The Graduate”, “American Graffiti”, and “Aloha, Bobby and Rose”. I will also never forget seeing a re-release of the original STAR WARS at the Starlite (the last time I ever visited it, in 1979, months before it closed), or the ad for Federico College of Hairstyling and those Terrytoons at the Skyview (I remember the South Screen for the bigger features, the North Screen for the Triple Features, and I remember the building of the Third Screen-that is where my brother took me to see “Attack Of The Killer Tomatoes” on that screen). Years after the Skyview closed, I went to that area to see what had become of Sacramento’s first drive-in-this was in 1990-the screens were still standing but deteriorated, and so was the snack bar). My dad took me to the Fruitridge to see “Magnum Force” and “The Family” (aka “Violent City”) with Charles Bronson, while my brother took me to see “Battle For The Planet Of The Apes” ..The last time I ever went there was around 1977, when my late mom took me to see Disney’s “Darby O’Gill and the Little People”. I never visited the other drive-ins. The film did help me visit these lost drive-ins that were represented that I never visited, but thanks to the film I saw them for the very first time. Again, I say, I can close my eyes and imagine revisiting the Skyview, Starlite, Fruitridge, and Southgate again as they were. Sad that there are not enough pictures (if any at all) of these aforementioned drive ins for us to relive. I hope you can track down the surviving family of the owners of the Skyview (the Strawn family) or track down the actual intermission snipes that were used at these drive-ins for a follow-up documentary in the near future. Note in passing - some of the snipes I remember seeing I have found all over KZbin- I cannot name them all, but have fun searching for them. You will feel like your at the drive-in again! Thank you!

[@bjnartkerproductions]

Thanks for sharing! I would love to do a follow up if enough images and video come to light. If anyone has any that they would like to share, please contact me. There are a few of the old snack bar commercials on our video about the Sunrise Drive-In called "Welcome Again Ladies and Gentlemen to the Sunrise Drive-In" You can find it here kzbin.info/www/bejne/r3a6mIxuj5yFfJI

[@basking_in_it]

And don't forget the Southgate Drive-In in south Sacramento! That's where we always went as kids in the 60's and 70's.

[@nonservitium]

Nice! I spent so much of my youth at some of these places.

[@nancycrane1265]

Great video. If you haven't seen the Sacramento 6 Drive-In recently, you definitely should. They have done a lot of improvements and it looks a lot different than in the video.

[@bjnartkerproductions]

Thanks for the heads up! Been wanting to get back over there.

[@GregoryJimenez-j3z]

I was surprised to not see anything about the Fruitridge drive-ins on Stockton Boulevard in Fruitridge.

[@bjnartkerproductions]

The video mainly delt with the drive-in's we actually had taken video of. However, if you watch the nod to some of the other drive-ins at the very end, we did mention the Fruitridge. Thanks for watching! BJ🙂

[@lindapfister2484]

I still love drive in my x husband built the roof on Sacramento 6. Martin pfister

[@seankm6nfo990]

Awesome. Thanks!

[@Thesmokeeffect]

From Sacramento but haven't been to a drive in since that movie Waste Deep came out in 06 or 07

[@vanishingpoint5248]

Most excellent video. Great to see some of the old haunts and they spur memories of a simpler time. Loved the Hilander spot, I stumbled across that back in the 80’s and took extensive photographs of it as well as other abandoned drive ins. Something about the starkness draws me in…

[@bjnartkerproductions]

Would love to see your photos!

[@ValleyProud916]

I was really hoping to see Skyview in south sac

[@lindapfister2484]

I love love love this. Please find out about the drivein off auburn blvd in ch by old Kmart please

[@darrengreene9908]

Another great video. Thanks for sharing 🙂

[@armadilllo]

You forgot the Starlite Drive In at Arden and I80

[@bjnartkerproductions]

Yes we know, There are other drive-ins that we didn't include such as the Citrus Heights Drive-in and of course, as you mentioned, the Starlite Drive-in. The purpose of the video was to share video of the drive-ins we personally had footage of. So if we didn't have video footage we shot, we didn't include it. Would have been great to have footage of the others, I agree.

[@armadilllo]

@@bjnartkerproductions Thanks, that was fun.

[@lindapfister2484]

It was the citrus heights drive in. U have anything on that. And one in south sac

[@bjnartkerproductions]

I remember the Citrus Heights Drive-In went there quite often. I wish that we did have images for all of the other drive-ins but sadly we don’t. We didn’t happen to ever take any photos of the others. The only drive-ins that we covered in our video were ones we had images for. At the end of this video, we did mention the names of several other drive-ins that used to be in the area.

[@rclaughlin]

I'd love to know where DJ got the background music for this video.

[@bjnartkerproductions]

Music came from the recently defunct subscription company "Digital Juice". Gonna miss them

[@turtleloc]

Do you know the name of the movie theater that was on fifth Street and Broadway right next to the projects Seavey circle

[@bjnartkerproductions]

No, I'm sorry but I'm not familiar with a theater location at 5th and Broadway. Of course there is the Tower Theater at 16th and Broadway. Would love to know the name of the theater that you're thinking of. If I come across it I will share. Please do the same. Thanks!

[@lindapfister2484]

Skyview and fruit rice drive in

[@NorthSouthEast]

What happened to the one I used to sneak into on 47th AV, and then there was one off highway 99 near Florin, and the adult drive-in in West Sac., how could you miss all that?

[@bjnartkerproductions]

Thanks for your comment. We know there were several other Drive-Ins that weren't covered. We were only covering the ones we had video for. I wish for instance we had video of the Star Light and The Carmichael Drive-ins . . . but alas we covered only what we had video of.

[@SDGamer638]

@@bjnartkerproductions Video of the Starlite Drive in does exist in the form of an archival reel shot in part by KCRA that is only a portion of a reel on Sacramento drive ins and indoor theatres of the past. It can be found at kzbin.info/www/bejne/hZPRapmXht-rY7M . Footage of the Starlite itself begins at the 10 minute eight second mark of that reel.

[@bjnartkerproductions]

@@SDGamer638 I'm sure that's true. But we were only focusing on footage we had taken ourselves however. This was never intended to be a complete guide to all of the drive-ins that were in the Sacramento area.

[@SDGamer638]

@@bjnartkerproductions I do see your point. In any event, no doubt I hope these comments (mine included) will add to the sentiment of remembering what we had in the past, what may never be again, and how today’s digital technology will help us relive the Drive- in experience. And I leave you with this…as long as we will remember it, and as long as we can keep the drive ins alive, the final chapter of the story of the Drive in Theatre will never be written.

[@basking_in_it]

The one off Hwy 99 and Florin was Southgate Drive-In. That's where we always went as kids in the 70s and early 80s.